Britain to review Huawei's UK-based cyber center

LONDON (AP) — One of Britain's most senior security officials has been assigned to review the operation of a U.K.-based cybersecurity center run by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei following a critical report from lawmakers.

The government was thrown onto the defensive last month when senior parliamentarians criticized the deepening links between British telecommunications firms and Huawei Technologies Ltd., whose role as one of the world's leading suppliers of network equipment has piqued anxiety over espionage in several Western capitals.

Huawei's Banbury, England-based cybersecurity center, which monitors the safety of Huawei's equipment, was part of an effort to allay those fears. But lawmakers said they were concerned that the center was unlikely to provide effective oversight.

The government announced Thursday it had tasked National Security Adviser Kim Darroch with reviewing the center.